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	The importance of food Food played a very important part in our ancestors life to provide the energy for long and arduous work for both men and women and to provide a bright sport in the day. Food preparation was one of the many duties undertaken by the lady of the house although children were often required to collect raw ingredients and to assist in preparation. In the case or ordinary people provision of sufficient food was a difficult task given the high number of children to feed in most families and the comparative poverty. This drove people to make the greatest use of food available and to ensure that nothing was wasted. Food was also seasonal and attempts were made to ensure full use of the crops when they were available which meant that late august/ September many deserts would use wild blackberries as these were flavoursome, adaptable and best of all free for the children to pick. There was little understanding of dietary requirements and the consequences for health amongst common people. The lack of knowledge coupled with poverty meant that many dishes contained levels of fat and other products that we would find unacceptable today. Despite this there was little obesity amongst poorer people as the high level of labour and comparative lack of food prevented  obesity. The diet of the day however did often reflect on the waist size of the middle classes. Although there are many recipes common throughout the UK the popular dishes were very parochial depending on the available ingredients for instance in Eastern Essex the availability of eels and wildfowl from the marshes and seafood from the sea provided dishes that would not be comment even at Chelmsford just 20 miles inland. There were no protected species of bird or animal and so dishes such as rook pie, blackbird stew and roast hedgehog were all happily eaten as specific dishes and all were certainly added to the family stewpot. Nothing was wasted and so recipes were developed for the cheapest parts of animals such as brains and intestines- the cheapest cuts of meat such a fat and lean pork and by products such as dripping . They achieved this by cooking techniques are creating delicious sauces to mask fat and improve flavours. The recipes on this site There were cookbooks around in the late 1800's although they were comparatively expensive and tended to be used mainly by people in the professional classes . In the 1900's penny books were developed to include cookery books making them available to the masses. Most families handed recipes down through the generations quite often recording them in small books. In many families great grandma's cook book is still treasured not only as a source for family recipes but as a way of feeling closer to the great grandmother that they probably didn't know by being able to see her handwriting. The recipes on this site have come from a number of sources but mainly from my family who have lived in Essex and the Suffolk Essex borders for many generations. Kitchen equipment was similar in many ways to a modern kitchen without of course the plethora of electric tools. Saucepans, frying pans etc may in many cased be made from more modern metals but essentially are the same. Modern equipment may be used fro blending to prevent the time consuming methods 'enjoyed' by my grandparents. Most ingredients are also available although the advent of material such as bicarbonate of soda and self raising flour has shortened some of the processes. Where a modern substitute is available it has been included in the recipe. A few recipes such as rook pie have been included as indicators of food enjoyed 100 years ago and are not intended to be used although they are original recipes. Most of the recipes would be enjoyed by the common person although I have included a few that would be prepared for those ' upstairs'.